A Broken Heart and a Chipped Cup
by T'Nara Valdrin Kelensa
Summary: Rumpelstiltskin mourns Belle's death while the Evil Queen schemes
1. Chapter 1

**My first Rumpelstiltskin/Belle fanfic. Depending on how you all like it I may or may not add more chapters. :)**

**Enjoy!**

Belle shivered in her tower cell. She supposed she should be grateful for the cold, it made the wounds from her torture go numb…

The door creaked open, and Belle groaned inwardly at the sight of the clerics. They came every day… couldn't they see there was nothing wrong with her… no amount of torture would cause a demon to fly in terror from her body. Couldn't they understand that nothing had happened between her and Rumpelstiltskin beyond a simple kiss? Couldn't they see she hadn't been cursed, she was still the same? She wasn't a monster… Rumpelstiltskin wasn't a monster… these clerics who tried to "cleanse" her were the monsters…

She saw they carried whips today. She didn't really care anymore. She just wanted it to end. She looked at the window of her tower. She had often thought of ending her misery by jumping through it, but she had clung to the hope that maybe… _maybe_… He would come for her.

She heard rather than felt the crack of the whip on her naked body. She heard screams, but didn't realize they were coming from her own throat. If only He would come… but this time he didn't.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin was spinning at his wheel… as usual. The wheel spun… he watched the spokes moving… he tried to get lost in the motion… tried to forget.

It had worked in the past… spinning… it had helped keep his mind off painful memories, but now all he could think of was Belle… this is where she had, in her own way, declared her love for him, and he had shunned her, cast her out…

But she had been working for the Queen… she deserved to be cast out…

But it _had_ been working… and she had seemed so honestly puzzled, she hadn't known what he was talking about…

But it didn't matter anymore, she was gone… she was never coming back; he had made sure of it. She would never want to return to him now…

Hot tears gathered behind his eyes but he willed them away. He wouldn't mourn her absence… he wouldn't allow himself to be tricked further…

He heard the double doors leading into his trophy room creak open. "Flimsy locks!" a voice called out. He turned to see the Queen walking in. He turned away in disgust. It was all _her_ fault! If she hadn't poisoned the mind of his little Belle, they would still be here together… still be happy.

"I'm not dealing today." He said quietly. She wasn't leaving. She was pouring herself a cup of tea.

"Are you angry with me?" she asked.

He ignored her.

She sighed. "What is it this time?"

He turned to her once again. "Your little scheme failed. You will _never_ be more powerful than me. You can keep trying, dearie, but you're never going to defeat me…" The words sounded hollow in his own ears.

"Oh? Is this about that girl I met on the road?" she was mocking him… she knew when she had the upper hand. "What was her name? Margie? Verna?"

He should have let her go on… meaningless words, but her name… that sweet name fell from his lips. "Belle…" and when he whispered her name he knew that he had to go find her. He would apologize, beg her forgiveness… His mind was whirling with his plan, but the Queen's next words stopped him cold. "You can rest assured I had nothing to do with that tragedy."

He turned from his spinning wheel to face her directly, his heart beating wildly in his chest. "What tragedy?" What had happened to his little Belle?

She turned to him in mock astonishment. "You mean you don't know?"

He shook his head. Was she going to make him beg for the information?

She laughed. "Well, after she got home, her fiancé had gone missing…" Rumpelstiltskin tried to force his expression to remain unchanged. That had been his fault…

She continued, "…and after her stay here, her…" she paused, "…association with you, no-one would want her of course."

Rumpelstiltskin shook his head. What had they done to her, to his Belle?

"Her father shunned her, cut her off, shut her out." He knew she could see the pain in his face, he knew she was enjoying every moment of this.

His aching heart spoke for his confused mind. "So she needs…" he swallowed, "…a home?"

She laughed, savoring the moment. "He was _cruel_ to her." Rumpelstiltskin flinched as if he'd been physically struck. No… not his Belle!

"He locked her in a tower and sent in clerics to cleanse her soul with scourges and flaying."

No… no… not his Belle! The Queen was wrong… his Belle couldn't have been tortured. Nobody would do such a thing to her…

But no… it didn't matter, he would go rescue her. The Queen's next words stopped him; his heart wrenching within his chest, every fiber of his being denying her words.

"After a while she threw herself off the tower." She smiled cruelly at him. "She died."

It couldn't be true… not his Belle… not his light, his life, his love… his true love. "You're lying." He whispered.

"Am I?" He heard the confidence in her reply, and it broke him. He couldn't deny it… she was gone, forever.

"We're done…" he told the Queen. With a breath of magic he opened the double doors and walked toward them to show her out. He wanted her out of his castle. He wanted to be alone…

No… he just wanted Belle.

She was saying something… something about having other calls to make… but Rumpelstiltskin didn't care. He stood by the door expectantly, refusing to say another word to her.

She followed him, her gloved finger brushing the top of the long table. She examined the dust that had come up onto her glove. She couldn't resist one last stab into his aching heart. "The place is looking dusty, Rumpel," she said, as she brushed past him. She paused in the doorway and leaned in over him. "You should get a new girl."

He flinched at her words and pretended to ignore the triumphant smile on her face. The doors creaked closed behind her and he bowed his head. He might have more power than the Queen, but what was the use? In the end, she had beaten him.

"_All you'll have is an empty heart and a chipped cup."_ Belle's words crept into his mind and he had to bite back a sob. _"No, Belle…"_ he whispered to the memory. _"All I have left is a broken heart and a chipped cup."_

He walked across the room over to his display case. He opened it and pulled out the teacup that Belle had chipped the first day she had come. _An empty heart…_

He walked over to a pedestal and removed the glamorous goblet that he kept displayed there. _And a chipped cup…_

He gently placed the fragile teacup there. _Belle…_

It was the only thing he had left of hers… as he gazed down at the cup he could no longer hold back the tears. He hadn't cried like this since he lost his son…

His legs couldn't support his weight and he knelt down before the pedestal… the altar… before the teacup, before the memory of Belle and sacrificed the contents of his aching heart. He cried for her, for what he had done to her, for what he had lost, and he swore he would never love again.

* * *

The Evil Queen stood before her magic mirror and laughed. Rumpelstiltskin kept all the mirrors in his castle covered up, but had been so distracted by her words he had failed to notice the small mirror she had placed next to his teapot. Through it, she was able to see everything in the room.

"Pathetic," she commented as she listened to the sobs. "Love is weakness, Rumpelstiltskin…" she whispered into the mirror, even though she knew he couldn't hear her. "And now _you_ will be the one who will be powerless against _me_… when the time comes."

After a moment she grew tired of watching him and left the room. She walked down into a dungeon underneath her own castle. There, in a windowless cell that was so tiny the inmate could hardly move, sat her prize. _"His little Belle!"_ she sneered, as she peered in she illuminated the cell briefly. The girl was naked, and the Queen smiled as she counted every bruise and cut on her body. She had told Rumpelstiltskin just enough truth that even if he did search for her, he would not find her.

The girl's father _had_ ordered clerics to cleanse her soul, and they had tortured her to rid her of the demons they were sure Rumpelstiltskin had cursed her with, but Belle had not thrown herself from the tower. She had been rescued by the Queen, and a perfect duplicate made with magic had been thrown to the foot of the tower. The Queen smiled. Everybody thought she was dead. And when the time came… when the Queen revealed her full hand… Rumpelstiltskin would be powerless.

Belle blinked against the sudden light after such intense blackness. She was shivering, and her blue eyes were full of pain, but she lifted her chin and stared back at the Queen. She didn't cower, even though she didn't know where she was or what would happen next.

The Queen cut off the faint illumination. "Soon…" she whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

Sir Maurice sat in his throne, head in his hands. Tears were falling from his eyes and streaming down his face. _"What have I done?"_ he asked himself. _"Oh Belle… what have I done?"_

She had returned from Rumpelstiltskin's abode, and he had convinced himself that the ogres would return, that they no longer had His protection. He hadn't spoken to her since the day she had returned, had merely given her over to the clerics to ensure that Rumpelstiltskin had not poisoned her mind with evil.

He hadn't known what they had done to her. He had been too busy preparing for the attack that never came, had been too terrified to go to her for fear Rumpelstiltskin would return and kill him for accepting her back.

He only found out what they had done to her when they brought him news of her death, telling him she had flung herself from the tower she had been kept in. Maurice clenched his fists as he remembered that moment… when they had told him they had tortured his daughter… when they told him they were convinced Rumpelstiltskin had cast a spell of evil on her and the only way to release her was to torture her until the demons within fled in terror… he had gone to the foot of the tower and found her body… broken, torn, showing the months of torture she had experienced because he had abandoned her. He had taken her in his arms and begged her to wake up, begged her forgiveness… but it was useless.

"Where is she?" a voice hissed at him. Maurice lifted his head and jumped to his feet in terror. There was Rumpelstiltskin. The creature looked different than he had the last time he had seen him. His eyes were flashing fire, and his entire demeanor looked more like that of a trapped wildcat then that of a playful imp. Maurice swallowed.

Rumpelstiltskin stepped closer and raised one hand, purple lightning dancing between his fingers. "I said…" the beast repeated, enunciating every word. "Where is she? Where is Belle?

Maurice winced at the venom in his voice. What was this monster going to do to him? "She… she came back. I didn't invite her back, she just came." He hesitated. What would Rumpelstiltskin do if he knew the truth: that he had never intended to send her back to him? "We kept her in a tower… for when you returned to…" he swallowed hard, hating the words he was saying. "…to reclaim her…" Belle wasn't property! And she certainly didn't belong to this seething demon in front of him. "She couldn't stand it… she threw herself from the tower… we couldn't stop her…"

Maurice stopped as Rumpelstiltskin's face grew livid. "You liar!" he screamed. "She wouldn't have thrown herself from a tower to her death, not unless something terrible was being done to her!"

Maurice winced. He knew! This creature knew the truth! What would he do now?

"It wasn't my fault!" Maurice pleaded, holding out his hands instinctively, to block off any blow that might be coming. "I gave her over to the clerics… I didn't know they would torture her… I didn't know they would kill her! I thought you would be coming back for her, and they would keep her until you returned!"

Rumpelstiltskin's eyes were still blazing, but to Maurice's great relief he lowered his hand. "Show me where she was kept." The monster hissed.

"Of… of course…" Maurice sidled past Rumpelstilskin. "The… the clerics kept her in a tower…" He didn't dare look Rumpelstilskin in the face, "…but it… it hasn't been cleaned since she died… nobody could bear to do it…"

"Show me." His voice was as soft and deadly as the angry hiss of a snake.

Maurice nodded and led Rumpelstiltskin through his castle, praying that the beast would not kill him, would not remove the protective magic from around his tiny fiefdom.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin followed the Maurice. _"How could one as beautiful and intelligent as Belle be the offspring of such a man as he?"_ he wondered to himself. It didn't take long until they reached an arch through which winding stairs led upward. _"His 'castle' hardly deserves the name."_ Rumpelstiltskin thought in disgust, thinking of his own enormous mansion. His throat caught when he thought of the empty weeks that had passed while he searched for Belle, praying he would find her safe and sound in some farmer's cottage, or even a bar… he always returned alone to a castle that felt too large, and so cold and dark… his very footfalls seemed to echo.

"It… it was up there…" Belle's father was speaking to him. Rumpelstilskin looked at him and a dry smile crossed his lips. "And you don't want to go any farther, do you?" he laughed at the look of fear in the man's eyes. He raised his hand, his eyes sparkling maliciously. "I have no more need of you, dearie…" He giggled as Maurice dropped to his knees, but it was halfhearted… merely for show. The fool was begging for his life. As if _that_ would have stopped Rumpelstiltskin if he really wanted him dead! He snapped his fingers and laughed at Maurice's scream of terror before disappearing into purple smoke. He needn't have screamed. Rumpelstiltskin had merely sent him back to his throne, although he had also thoughtfully deposited a small knife on the chair. Sir Maurice would not sit comfortably for weeks.

Rumpelstiltskin turned and looked at the stairs apprehensively. He closed his eyes, making sure he had full control of his emotions, then willed himself to the top. He found himself standing before a heavy wooden door. With a wave of his hand it opened, and as he looked inside he felt his heart tear in two.

This was even worse than when he had lost Bae… Bae had at least been unharmed… he had at least been safe. Rumpelstiltskin had deserted him, he had let him go, had cast him away, but at least no physical harm could have come to him. But this… Rumpelstiltskin stared at the floor, and the dried blood which painted the floor. His little Belle… she had been more than abandoned! She had been tortured until she couldn't bear it any longer and had ended her life prematurely…

Rumpelstiltskin fell to his knees. His eyes filled with tears and he tilted his head back and screamed. He screamed for all he had lost: his son, his humanity, his Belle… The scream rose an octave as he lost the last thing that connected him to humanity in any way: his sanity. The scream turned into a laugh… a laugh that expressed his heartache more than the scream itself had.

He leaned forward and touched the dried blood. "You will be avenged, Belle…" he whispered. "I will get that evil Queen who contaminated your mind, who caused me to drive you away…" He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his own flesh until his fresh blood dripped to the floor and joined her dried blood. "They will _all_ pay!" he panted. Everyone who ever caused me pain… everyone who ever caused you pain… they will _all_ suffer!"

Rumpelstiltskin rose to his feet and looked at the door. He slammed it shut and sealed it with magic. "This place will be a monument to your suffering, Belle… and nobody shall ever set foot in here again… not until they have all suffered as much as I have and as much as you have."

"_Nobody will ever suffer as much as you have."_

Rumpelstiltskin looked around. There was nobody else in the tower dungeon. His upper lip lifted as he snarled. "Who is in here?" He demanded. They would die, as his Belle had died.

"_Nobody but yourself."_

"What do you want?"

"_It's all your fault, you know. You are the one who hurts the people who loved you. You caused their pain. The only revenge you can take is against yourself."_

Rumpelstiltskin screamed again. "STOP IT!"

"_Now why would I do a thing like that? I am you."_

Rumpelstiltskin clutched his head with both hands. "I SAID STOP!" he yelled again, desperation lacing his voice. He willed himself back to his castle before whoever was there could say another word, but found no relief there.

"_There is no way anybody can suffer as much as you have… at least not here."_

"Where then?" Rumpelstiltskin demanded. He realized he had begun pacing the floor.

"_You know where."_

Rumpelstiltskin stopped pacing. He felt his lips move into a smile. Yes… he did know where.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin turned to his curse. Begun when he had lost his son in a desperate attempt to get him back, he had worked ceaselessly, but no matter what he had done he knew it wasn't enough. He did not have enough power to finish it. But now he did. Fueled by the added blackness in his soul, by his intense pain, he now had the power. He poured the bitterness of his broken heart into the curse, poured in his hatred of the Queen for causing him to cast Belle out, his hatred for the Blue Fairy for taking his son from him, and the insanity that now drove him. He worked day and night, for now he knew what must be done. He swept through the countryside, using his magic to catch the blackness within every dark thought and feeling that he could.

And finally, his curse was completed. But when he looked at it, he knew it wasn't the answer. The evil within was too great. He himself would be trapped as well, and there would be no way for him to find his son.

He bottled love.

Every magician said it was impossible.

Every magician said whoever thought it could be done was fooling themselves.

But Rumpelstiltskin did it, and it was the key. It was the way he could escape the curse. It saved the person casting the spell from suffering the fate of those who were cursed.

But magic has a mind of its own and added a condition. The person who cast the spell had to sacrifice the one they loved the most.

Once again Rumpelstiltskin screamed out to the heavens, for once again he had lost.

* * *

"_You don't have to admit defeat"_ the voice in his head whispered. _"You can still win."_

Rumpelstiltskin had long ago learned not to be surprised by the voice. "And how is that?" he demanded. "Maybe I should fall in love with the Evil Queen! Then I could rip _her_ heart out of her chest!" he said sarcastically.

"_Don't be droll, it doesn't suit you."_

"There is no way I can win!"

"_Unless you get someone else to cast the spell for you."_

Rumpelstiltskin paused. "Impossible!" he sneered. That would keep me from my son, just as I am now!"

"_Curses can be broken. If you play it right, you will win in the end."_

Rumpelstiltskin laughed. "Then we will need to come up with a plan."

"_And you need to stop talking to yourself."_

"Oh shut up."


	3. Chapter 3

**Another new chapter. This one was a ton of fun to write! Insane Rumpelstiltskin is just marvelous! :)**

**There isn't a whole lot of Rumbelle stuff yet, at least not Rumbelle interaction, but that WILL come later, depending on how many people like this and want me to continue. **

**Leave a review if you like it or if you have some constructive criticismt... ... Please. (hey, I can try using please! It always works for Rumpel! ;-D)**

Rumpelstiltskin peered out through the bars of his cage. It was dark and shadowy here… just the way he liked it, but there was nothing for him to do, nowhere for him to go!

He had planned all this, of course. Had allowed himself to be tricked so that he could be here at the right time, but now he was trapped. All he had were his demons.

He hissed through his teeth and once again began pacing back and forth in his tiny cage. "You won't win!" he yelled through the bars at the people who weren't there. He bared his teeth and climbed up onto the bars. "You'll _never_ beat me! I'll get out of here, and when I do, you will pay! You will _all_ pay!"

He climbed up the bars, clinging to them with his strong fingers. He had to get out of there, his well thought out plans be damned. He had to get back to the surface, back to the light, back to his light.

He erupted into giggles as the voices within his head began arguing back and forth, telling him that the light he longed for was gone, then telling him he didn't _really_ want the light anyway.

He was now on the ceiling, his fingers digging into the rock, trying to pry it loose, trying to escape.

"_She's never coming back, you know…"_ the voice whispered in his ear. _"Even if you escape this cage you have nowhere to go… nobody to go back to…"_

"That's not true!" he shouted in reply to the voice. "I have my potions, my magic! I'll find a way to bring her back!

"_Now why would you want to do that? She tricked you; she never really loved you…"_

He giggled at that voice. "Now how do _you_ know that?" he demanded. The voice didn't reply and Rumpelstiltskin giggled. "That one has you stumped, hasn't it?"

"_And what about your son?"_

It was the darker voice talking. Rumpelstiltskin liked the other one better. "What about my son?"

"_Escaping here will mean you will never get him back."_

Rumpelstiltskin didn't reply.

"_Now who's the one who is stumped?"_ the other voice giggled.

"Rumpelstiltskin!" a man's voice echoed from the long corridor leading to his cage.

Rumpelstiltskin forced back a giggle. It would be highly inappropriate for this oh-so-serious conversation he was about to have, he told himself wryly.

"Rumpelstiltskin!" the voice of his jailer called again. "I have a question for you!"

Did the man really think he could trick the Dark One? Rumpelstiltskin wondered to himself. He dropped back down to the floor. "No you don't." he glanced toward the two hooded and cloaked figures who stood beside his jailer. "They do… Snow White and Prince Charming!" he couldn't help but laugh. Did they _really_ think they could fool him? "You insult me! Now step into the light and take off those ridiculous robes."

They did as he said, of course they did, and he couldn't help but laugh again. "That's _much_ better."

He knew why they had come, of course he did. He had planned it all out from the start.

The fool prince spoke. "We've come to ask you…"

"Yes YES! I know why you're here!" he interrupted. "You want to know about the Queen's threat." He couldn't help the venom that crept into his voice. The Queen had threatened to use his curse against them, but that's not what it had been for. It was for use against _her_, against the woman who had caused his Belle to die. It didn't matter that he had planned this out too… it wasn't what was supposed to happen.

"_It looks like you'll never get what you want!"_ the voice in his head whispered to him. _"You are always the one who is beaten."_

"Tell us what you know!" Snow White demanded.

"Oooh! Tense, aren't we?" Rumpelstiltskin replied to both.

The voice within his head dissolved into giggles.

Rumpelstiltskin ignored it and struck a dramatic pose. "Fear not!" he told Snow White and her prince, "For I can ease your mind!"

"_Ever ready to help those who twuly wuv each other, aren't you?"_ This time it was the imp in his head who spoke. _"And you never ask for anything in return."_ The voice once again giggled at him.

Rumpelstiltskin kept ignoring it. "But…" he added on. "It's going to cost you something in return." He knew what he was doing, even if those fool voices in his head did not.

"No!" that prince was talking again. Rumpelstiltskin wished he would stop. He considered making his mouth disappear then decided against it. _"You also can't use magic when you're in this enchanted cage."_ The voice in his head reminded him.

"Come on, this is just a waste of time…" Rumpelstiltskin rolled his eyes. That fool prince was trying to convince Snow White to leave.

"What do you want?" Snow White demanded.

"_At least she has enough sense not to listen to that new husband of hers."_ The imp cackled.

Rumpelstiltskin wished for the millionth time that the imp would just shut up.

He turned to Snow White and pretended to contemplate her request. "Ohhh…" he shrugged, "the name of your unborn child?"

"Absolutely not!" The prince tried to say. Rumpelstiltskin smirked at him. He was getting quite tiresome, but he did seem to have the sense to understand that it wasn't always wise to play right into Rumpelstiltskin's hands.

"Deal." Snow White said, no hesitation in her voice. "What do you know?"

Rumpelstiltskin smiled. A desperate soul, his favorite! They were always so easy to deal with.

"The Queen has created a powerful curse…" he began. _"Oh yes, don't take any of the credit yourself…"_ the imp in his head said sarcastically.

Rumpelstiltskin decided that the voice was more annoying than that fool prince. "…and it's coming. Soon you'll all be in a prison…" he almost couldn't bite back the giggle, "just like _me,_ only _worse_!"

"Your prison…"

"_It will be your prison to, you know…"_ the voice whispered mockingly.

"_All_ of our prisons… will be time. Time will stop…"

"_Yes, time will stop, and you will have an eternity of the same day to miss your little Belle… to miss your son…"_

"… and we will be trapped…"

"…_trapped away from those who you love, even worse than you are now…"_

"Someplace horrible where everything we hold dear everything we love will be ripped from us while we suffer for all eternity, while the Queen celebrates… Victorious at last!"

"_That sounds like your current situation…"_ the smile faded from his face. At least in this new land he wouldn't be the only one.

"No more happy endings…"

"_Just like you!"_ the imp shrieked giddily. _"Now everybody is going to feel like you do _except_ for the one person you wanted to feel this way!"_

"What can we do?"

Snow White was asking him a question. It would be _quite_ rude to ignore her in order to answer that imp inside his head. "_We_ can't do anything!"

He smirked at her.

"Then who can?"

Even the imp in his head kept quiet at this portion of the conversation.

Rumpelstiltskin reached his hand through the bars of his cage and placed it on Snow White's swollen belly. "That little thing, growing inside your belly…" he began.

The fool prince drew his sword and slapped Rumpelstiltskin's hand away with the flat of the blade. "Next time I cut it off!" he threatened.

Rumpelstiltskin clicked his tongue, getting ever more annoyed with the prince.

He turned back to Snow White. "The infant is our only hope. Get the child to safety…" he climbed up higher on the bars in his cage. "Get the child to safety and on its…" he closed his eyes as if in concentration.

"_You're showing off now"_ giggled the imp in his head.

"…twenty-eighth birthday, the child will return… the child will find you… And the final battle will begin!" He opened his eyes and laughed in delight at the expressions on these poor Royal's faces.

"I've heard enough, we're leaving!" Charming started leading Snow White away, and as they walked off Rumpelstiltskin's laughter turned into screams. "Hey! No! We made a deal! I want her name!" How _dare_ they try to leave without fulfilling their end of the bargain! "We had a deal! I. Need. Her. Name! I Want Her Name!"

"_Now who's tense?"_ the imp in his head giggled.

"Her?" Charming turned around to face Rumpelstiltskin. "It's a boy."

He glared at the prince. He knew he'd get no help there. "Missy!" he called. "Missy! You know I'm right! Now tell me… what's her name?"

Snow White stood where she was as if she had been turned to stone.

"_You should just turn her into stone until you learn the child's name…"_ the imp suggested gleefully.

Snow White turned around and faced him, making a decision. "Emma… her name is Emma."

"Em-ma…" Rumpelstiltskin tried the name out.

"_What a ridiculous name!"_ giggled the imp.

"Oh be quiet!" Rumpelstiltskin demanded. He giggled at the confused expression on Snow White's face, and a moment later he was once more alone.

His pacing resumed. He knew what would happen now.

"_You do realize that you won't be able to forget."_ The voice whispered gleefully. _"It wouldn't be a curse if you forgot. Remembering… now that will be a curse…"_

"Will you be quiet?" Rumpelstiltskin demanded. "I want to think!"

"_What do you want to think?"_ the voice demanded.

"About anything but _you_!"

Rumpelstiltskin stopped his pacing and tried to see into his own future, but it was a blank. He could tell everybody else's future, but his own was forever a mystery to him.

How would he fare in that new world? How would he survive with everything ripped from him… his son was gone, his Belle was gone, and his magic too would be lost to him.

"I think it's time to make another deal." He said to the imp.

A flood of giggles was the only reply.

"Let's wait for Her Majesty to make an appearance, shall we?"

"_We shall!"_ the imp was able to say through the giggles.

"And then we'll watch while _she_ suffers."


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the long delay. I'm kind of holding off on telling too much more of the story I have in mind until SPOILER I see the Belle scene that will appear in the finale, which I'm hoping will not contradict my planned story. If it does this will probably be cut short, but we'll see. :)**

**The Rumpelstiltskin in this chapter is a little bit different from the last chapter, less giggles and more turmoil, but I think it's fitting for this scene. What do you think?**

**Reviews are always welcome. Let me know how I'm doing, and tell me if I should continue or not. :)**

* * *

Queen Regina looked at the box in her hands. She had done it; she would have her revenge on Snow White. "I'm sorry, daddy…" she whispered to the box. "I wish I could have done it some other way."

She had tried to cast the spell once before, but it had failed, so she had visited Rumpelstiltskin. The cursed imp had told her she needed to sacrifice the thing she loved the most. A black scowl crossed her face as she thought of the glee in his voice when he had told her that. He had enjoyed it.

If she had known this is what he would tell her, she would never have promised him comfort, wealth, power… she would have condemned him to a life of such intense misery he wouldn't be able to stand it… misery that would only be beaten by the misery Snow White would experience.

The Queen opened the box containing her father's heart. Her fingertips caressed the soft wood before reaching in and taking the heart out. She closed her eyes. No tears came. She had none left to cry. There was nothing left inside of her, only emptiness.

She lifted the heart from the box. It was so small, yet so precious. After a moment of hesitation she threw it into the blazing fire in front of her. A cloud of green smoke rose from it and she smiled. Her revenge would soon be complete. Perhaps it was worth it.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin was sitting in his cage. He had decided there was nothing else to do really, he should just wait.

_"Oh yes, just wait to be cursed like a good little man."_

Rumpelstiltskin banged his head backward against the wall. He was getting tired of the voices. "And what else to you expect me to do? Try to get out? You know just as well as I do that it isn't possible."

The voice was silent for a moment. _"You could at least be planning. You aren't though."_ It giggled. _"You don't think you can succeed! You're giving up!"_

Rumpelstiltskin leaped to his feet. "I am _not_ giving up!"

_"You are so!"_

"I am just biding my time." He giggled. "Besides, there isn't anything left to do until the savior comes."

_"Liar! You're giving up! You'll never see your son again, just like you'll never see your little Belle again."_

Rumpelstiltskin smile vanished and he snarled. "Stop tormenting me!" he shouted.

_"You are the one tormenting yourself."_

"I don't control what you say!" Rumpelstiltskin shouted angrily.

_"Oh no, dearie… but all I do is report the facts. You should know that by now."_

Rumpelstiltskin was shaking with rage. "If you were a physical person I would kill you!"

_"Oh I know. You would kill the part of you that reminds you that it's all your fault."_ The voice giggled again. _"Too bad you can't! I'm here to stay!"_

"Not for long! When we get to the new land you will be gone!"

_"And then it will be _you_ saying these words to yourself, not me. You'll never be rid of me, just like you will never be rid of the coward that brought all this upon you."_

"Shut up!" Rumpelstiltskin yelled in desperation. The voices in his head were becoming unmanageable, especially this one, the one that condemned his every deed.

Before the voice could reply Rumpelstiltskin felt a vibration in the air. "It is coming!" he said, a giggle replacing the rage in his voice. "She's actually done it! You'll go away now!"

_"But you will still suffer."_

"Not for long, dearie!" The curse was coming closer, and already he could feel its magic working on him. "I will win in the end!"

_"No you won't…"_

The voice was cut off mid-sentence as the curse reached Rumpelstiltskin. He giggled as he felt the change come over him, felt his appearance change from a glittering monster into a regular human being. He screamed as he felt his magic ripped from him. He groaned as that in turn brought every old injury back. He couldn't see anything through the thick blanket of fog that enveloped him.

_"Rumpelstiltskin!" _As the last of his magic left him he heard his named called out, but then the moment was gone and he didn't know who or what it was, but the voice had tugged at his heart.

He closed his eyes as the agony in his leg, gone for so long, returned. The voice had been right, he would forever be reminded of his cowardice, if only because of his lame leg.

He felt new memories trying to force themselves into his mind; memories of a world he had never lived in, memories of people he had never met, but he knew they were false.

Then finally, it was over.

* * *

Mr. Gold opened his eyes and reached for his gold-headed cane. He straightened his tie and got up from his chair. He had many things to do, and only 28 years in which to do them, but first things first. He had to go visit the mayor of this town… of Storybrooke. Regina Mills these false memories told him was her name. He needed to see her and revel in the fact that she thought she had won, but she had only begun digging her own grave.

* * *

Mayor Regina mills looked around her office and smiled. They were here, and even though Snow White and her husband had managed to spirit their child away to safety, her curse would never be broken.

She knew that the savior would not be able to do anything against both her and Rumpelstiltskin, or Mr. Gold as her new memories told her he was called, and when the time came she would control him. She had the thing that _he_ loved the most, his precious Belle. When the time came, he would work with her in order to protect Belle, and the savior, if she ever came, would be powerless.

She heard a knock on her office door and went to open it.

"Good afternoon, Madame Mayor." It was Rumpelstiltskin.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Gold. Can I help you with anything?"

"Yes, actually. I wanted to re-open the library. It has been closed for so long, and now seems an ideal time to open it." He paused. "It would be a shame if the children of this town never got to read fairytales…" he smiled at her, and Regina returned the smile with one of her sweetest. "I like that idea, Mr. Gold. Why don't you come in, we can discuss the details."

* * *

The library was opened soon after, but it was rarely ever visited by the citizens of Storybrooke. That was fine with Mr. Gold, though. Now wasn't the time.

But locked in back room of the library was large brown book, the title written in a simple yet elegant way: Once Upon A Time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it's taken so long to update. I wanted to wait for the finale, and it kind of messed up the story I had planned, so now this will be slightly AU. And if you're afraid I'm going to go over every single episode of season 1, don't worry. The next chapter will take place around the events of A Land Without Magic (probably).**

**Oh! And the title no longer makes any sense, and I am positively TERRIBLE at coming up with titles, so if you all could give me suggestions that would be very appreciated! :)**

**Enjoy!**

Emma Swan's head was whirling. Everything was happening a little bit too fast. One day she had been happily, or at least as happily as was possible for her, residing in her hotel room in Boston, and the next she was in a peculiar town called, of all things, Storybrooke.

She was having a hard time keeping up with all her emotions; Henry, the son she had long ago given up for adoption finding her, and then telling her a ridiculous story about how he lived in a cursed town where every story book character resided was enough to make anybody's head spin. But even after just a day, she was finding herself drawn to this bright eyed son of hers. If she'd been a mystic she would have said that something outside had guided her actions when she had decided to rent a room and stay for week, but she wasn't, and knew that she just liked that kid and wanted to see what kind of life he led, and why he had been so desperate to find her.

And that mayor… something about her just wasn't right about her. No, she would stay, just to make sure Henry was all right.

* * *

Gold stood in his pawnshop, his fingers caressing the well-polished leather of his son's ball. The savior was here. Soon, very soon, the curse would be broken. He would be able to leave town, he would be able to find his son.

He bowed his head. Physically he had not aged a day in those 28 years, but he had felt the time go past, had been aware that if he had not timed when they arrived in this world correctly, they might have come too soon or too late for him to find his son. He repeated that same promise that he had said every day since he had lost Bae, "I will find you, son… somehow, I _will_ find you."

He closed his eyes. He had lost so much and gained so little throughout all the years. Doubt wormed into his mind. What made this time any different? Who was to say he wouldn't lose again. These 28 years of misery would have been for nothing.

Carefully he put the ball back in its place and headed out, locking the door carefully behind him. It was time to go home, time to rehash every plan he had made, make sure it would all work out the way he wanted it to.

The first thing to do was make sure the savior stayed in town, and that meant manipulating Regina. He smiled and made his way to the mayor's house. _"Time to use the magic word."_ He thought gleefully, a bit of his old humor returning.

He found her picking up apples that had been scattered all over her yard. He smiled. The savior was already showing signs of spunk. Some people might have left town after one of the mayor's frame jobs, but not Emma. She had come and cut off a branch of the mayor's tree. _"Good,"_ he thought. _"We don't need the savior to be a coward."_ His bad leg twinged, and he winced inwardly.

But it didn't matter. It was time to plant suspicions in Regina's mind; make her not realize until it was too late who Emma really was.

* * *

Regina gazed after Mr. Gold's as he left her property, throwing the apple he had just picked over his shoulder. Doubt wormed in the back of her mind. _"What does he know?"_

She bit her lip. Did Gold remember who he was? He had certainly seemed that way to her. If he did, she was sure that this Emma Swan was the child of Snow White and Prince Charming, the one who could break her curse. She frowned. She had known something like this might happen, and she had prepared for it. Maybe it was time to check on her little pawn.

She turned and walked briskly to her car, a smile playing on the corners of her lips. Within moments she was at the hospital. With a nod of greeting to a nurse who was leaving for the night, Regina made her way to the back of the hospital, to the door leading down to the mental ward. She looked over her shoulder to make sure nobody was watching, and quickly typed in the passcode. The light turned green and the door unlocked.

She walked down the stairs and walked over to the desk. Nurse DeCyle rose to her feet at Regina's approach, her blue-gray eyes cold. Regina placed a hand on the desk and smiled at the nurse. "Has anyone been to see her?" she asked.

"No ma'am, as usual." Nurse DeCyle looked annoyed and Regina smiled warmly at her. "I always know I can count on you, dear."

"Then why do you bother asking?"

Regina straightened, her smile turning icy. "To make certain of it, of course."

She turned her back on the nurse and walked down the hallway toward the cell where she kept Rumpelstiltskin's treasure. She opened the hatch and peered in. The girl was sitting on her "bed". She lifted her sound at the sound of the hinges squeaking. "Regina?" She called out. "Is that you?"

Regina made a warm smile cross her face as she opened the door. "Hello, Emilie." She said as she walked in. The girl leaped to her feet and flew across the tiny room, throwing her arms around Regina's shoulders. "I was hoping you would come tonight." She said, a bright smile dancing on the corners of her lips. "I've been missing you these past few weeks."

"I'm sorry, dear." Regina said, brushing a strand of hair off Emilie's forehead. "There have been so many things going on; I couldn't find time until now." That was a lie, of course. Regina had never visited the girl, but Emilie had false memories of many visits from her mayor, and a relationship that was very much like a mother/daughter relationship.

"That's alright," Emilie said, hugging Regina again. "I understand, I'm just glad you could find time to visit me now."

The girl drew Regina over to her "bed" and they sat down together, Regina forcing herself to maintain an attitude of warmth and affection.

"Tell me," Emilie begged, grabbing Regina's hand. "What has been going on since I came here?"

Regina laughed. "Nothing really, aside from Henry running off to find his real mother…" she paused, her pained expression not an act. Was she going to lose her son as well?

"What?" Emilie asked. Her blue eyes were sad. "Is she…" she licked her lips. "Is she going to try to…"

"No!" Regina interrupted. "Henry is still my child… he is my entire world. I won't let his birth mother take him away from me." She looked at the girl again and forced a sad smile to her lips, forced the rage from appearing in her face. "I should never have trusted Mr. Gold." She said, as if talking to herself. She smirked inwardly as she felt Emilie tense up beside her. "What?"

Regina sighed. She would have enjoyed this play-acting if Henry was not as close to her heart as he was. "He was the one who procured Henry for me… he had the most contacts outside of Storybrooke so I thought…" she paused and bit her lip.

Emilie's hand found her shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Regina…" an ironic half-smile crossed her face momentarily. "I understand what a mistake it is to trust Mr. Gold…" she looked around her tiny room. "…and I'm reminded of it every day."

Regina had to bite back a self-satisfied smile. "I'm so sorry, dear… I shouldn't come bringing my troubles to you… perhaps tonight wasn't a good time to visit you."

Emilie smiled gently. "No, it's fine… you needed somebody who would understand. Now go home. Spend some time with your son."

Regina smiled tightly. "I'm afraid he's off with his birth mother… he has no desire to be with me anymore." She rose to her feet. "I'm sorry, Emilie… but I need to go now."

Emilie stood up. "Of course, Regina. I hope…" she paused and squeezed Regina's hand, "…well, I hope everything turns out fine."

Regina nodded then turned and walked out of the room as quickly as she could, barely able to resist the urge to slam the door. That girl was annoying! _"At least I have her exactly where I want her."_ She reminded herself.

But there was no ignoring the fact that the conversation had touched a sore spot in Regina's heart. "I won't lose you, Henry." She whispered.

She was going to get rid of this intruder, this Emma Swan, and the way to do that was to get Gold firmly on her side, which he would be once she realized the treasure she had. She smiled as she walked up the hallway. There was only one other thing she needed from Gold, and once she had it there was no way she could lose.

* * *

Gold was sitting in his living room holding the teacup… Belle's teacup… the one she had chipped. The curse would be broken soon, the continued presence of Emma Swan confirmed it, and he would be able to find his son. His fingers gently stroked the teacup. If only finding Belle could be a part of his future, but he knew it wasn't. He closed his eyes and set the teacup down gently. She would never be anything more than a memory, he needed to stop wishing for the impossible… he needed to focus on finding his son.

It didn't help that she had become as important to him as Baelfire was.

It didn't help that he would never be able to be more than half a man, even when he found his son.

He closed his eyes wishing for the millionth time that he could rip out his own heart and never again have to deal with painful emotions.


End file.
